MOSCOW, 16 December 2002. From a RIA Novosti correspondent Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday will pay a working visit to Portugal. As RIA Novosti was told in the information and public relations department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the aim of the visit is to intensify the Russian‑Portuguese cooperation in warning about and in abolishing the consequences of emergencies and to discuss questions of European integration in this sphere. Sergei Shoigu will conduct negotiations with president of the Portuguese Civil Defence Service A. Gomes at which the sides will discuss the fulfilment of the inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the sphere of civil defence, warning about and abolishing the consequences of emergencies. In particular, they also plan to discuss the prospects of cooperation in extinguishing forest fires in Portugal with the attraction of the aviation of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. One of the aspects of bilateral cooperation could be the introduction of high technologies in the sphere of forecasting and monitoring dangerous technogenic and ecological processes and natural phenomena. The Russian Emergencies Ministry has at its disposal up-to-date Russian equipment which can be interesting for the Portuguese side – the systems for monitoring the environment and the equipment for controlling the state of buildings and their seismic stability. It is also planned to discuss the prospects for carrying out joint humanitarian projects. For example, the projects for mine-clearing the territories of Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and in Latin America. It has been scheduled that Sergei Shoigu will meet with Portuguese Minister of the Economy Carlos Tavares – the chairman of the Portuguese part of the Russian-Portuguese mixed inter-governmental commission for economic, industrial and technological cooperation. The Russian part of the commission is headed by Sergei Shoigu. The sides are expected to discuss the prospects of Russian-Portuguese economic relations and preparations for the next session of the commission which will take place in Russia in 2003.